1980 With Two Exceptions: More Uninformed Voters and A More Compliant Media in 2012

I ran along many articles and what have you from Republicans and conservatives comparing this year’s election with the presidential election of 1980. During that time I believe President Carter led Ronald Reagan throughout the entire campaign, even on election night. The same will likely apply to this year’s election. I expect President Obama to maintain a good lead over Mitt Romney until the final day when voters go to the polls and cast their decision. Looking at an old Jimmy Carter ad from that campaign I couldn’t help but to laugh because the comparisons between then and now are so uncanny it almost seems unreal. However, the comparisons are in fact real but with a few exceptions this time around. In 1980 one has to assume the number of informed voters compared to uninformed voters was a lot larger in scale than it is today. The reverse is true as a matter of fact and a solid core of support keeping Mr. Obama ahead in the polls comes exclusively I believe, from uninformed voters who have their focus elsewhere than on the presidential campaign. These voters often have an apathetic view of politics and therefore lack a real understanding of the issues. They tend to get their news from second hand sources and are most susceptible to the 30 second ads that are often dishonest and misleading. Both campaigns know these voters aren’t likely to research the facts and instead take the information given to them as truth.

Also the media structure in America today is far more liberal and strident in their loyalty to a Democratic president than during the 1980 campaign. Whereas liberal bias was a reality but likely didn’t have such a moving effect on the voters and the narrative as it does now, the media understands how they can create out of thin air a false conventional wisdom about Republican candidates; especially ones they themselves aren’t fond of personally.

When you have a media environment that collectively lies, withholds information, sets the agenda, and openly defends the president, it has made things difficult for Mitt Romney in terms of getting his message out. On a day filled with serious crisis in a very important and key region of the world, the media turned its focus solely on the response of the Republican presidential candidate instead of trying to gauge where the current commander-in-chief stood on the matter. The media didn’t report the weak response, the revelations that Mr. Obama skips several Intel briefings, or the fact that Mr. Obama bypassed the situation and instead went off to Las Vegas for a fund raiser.

Mitt Romney has two very real and very tough hurdles to overcome this fall. Uninformed voters tend to be liberal and therefore vote Democrat in large numbers. President Obama, being a smart and political aware man knows his only shot at reelection is to garner as much support among these voters as possible. So far he’s succeeding.

For Mitt Romney he also has to take a page out of Ronald Reagan’s book, speaking of 1980 and promote his message over the head of the media. The media is hostile to him politically and personally. They want to trip him up as much as possible in route to November.

Five point leads, leads widening by the hour, all hope is lost for Mitt Romney, Republicans in the establishment in a panic, the media pushing the idea that Romney is done, it all speaks to a familiar tone.

I can’t however stress my deep concern over the number of uninformed and federally dependent voters out there who are, to be brutally honest, given a right to vote. There is no doubt these voters will support the President, the question is can we outnumber them on election night. The base of the Democrat Party is now made up of I’d say about 60% uniformed and federally dependent Americans. That’s something we have to keep in mind.

If you look at the latest numbers, 45 million people are now on food stamps and other forms of government welfare. In a country where the mood and tendency of the electorate is to aim low, expect little to change, and dream small,voters might reelect President Obama simply for the reason of having little respect or optimism for the country’s future. Their mindset might be: “Oh well, what’s the point in electing Mitt Romney if we believe neither candidate will change the country for the better.”Mr. Obama is banking on low expectations; and he just might get it.